Fair Trade Violations for Playstation in Japan

The commission contends that Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment violated trade rules by pressuring retailers to sell Playstation 2 games at set prices and through predetermined channels and hampered free distribution by directing wholesalers to sell only to retail outlets. Sony was ordered to immediately halt the practice. “We respect the FTC's stance and will make sure that our policy of not setting resale conditions on wholesalers for PlayStation hardware and software is observed,” said a spokesperson for SCE.